Engine-starting apparatus



Sept. 11, 1923.

1.467.823 L. M. wooLsoN ENGINE STARTING APPARATUS Filed July 10, 1918 l BY Patented Sept. ll, 1923.

n UNITED STATES l,i67,823 PATENT OFFICE.

LIONEL I. WOOLSON, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO ECLIPSE MACHINE COMPANY., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

YEireann-sfiearurnae arranarns.

appliques and :my 1o, isla. smal no. 244,173.

Toallwhomtmqycomem:

Beit lln'iownthat 1,'LIoNsx. M. WooLsoN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the lcityl of- -Daytom in the countyof ,Monte'omer "and State 'o'f-,0hio,'have in- 'vente'an rrn rovement in Engine-Starting i pparatus; 'o Vthe following is a speciu.. yl "i This Iix'iventio'n relates'to starting a para.- tus, and .with regard to the more 'spec' c fea ,tures 'thereofito means foi-'starting internal combl'istionen es. One ofthego'fzthis'invention is to rovide' practicaasilyoperated means or evene a ,eine if power Another ob'efct i's Lt'ojprvide nieans of the abovtypefo le and durable construction vifl'nclgrshall convenient in control and lwhose action shall be auton'iatic.'v

4Al.notl 1e1"ob"e ct is to' provide means of the above 't e' whose action shall ,be relatively ,ea oIi` e`parts. "5 L ther obJects 'will-be in part; obvious and in art pointed out hereinafter.

he'invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement of. parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the'sco eef the a plication of which' will be in icated in t e following claims. In the accompanying drawings wherein are shown one or more of various possible embodiments of the severalxof this invention,V Fig. 1 is a view of starting apparatus,

partly in longitudinal section. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional' view 'on Aa larger scale taken alongfthe line 2--2 of Fig. l.

FigrB is a diagrammatic view showing the electrical circuits and Figrl is a fragn1entary view partly in longitudinal section showing a modification.

. Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughoutthe diiferentviews of the drawings Referring' now to Figsl and 3 of these drawings, there is 'showjn astarting motor having an armature 4l. and field coils 2 en- 'closed in a yoke 3. lThe armature has a shaft having enextension 4 'preferably bearing a vtransnriission'.of the autonatic screw shaft4 type. The transmission is preferably constructed as follows: 'A 'part of the extension 4 of the' shaft'is 'threaded as at 5, there being preferably a shoulder 6 at the :barrel 9 and contactsinion junction between the Unthreaded part of the extension 4 and the threaded part 5. A pinion 7 adapted to cooperate with geared iiywheel 7 1s litted over the unthreaded art of the extension and a nut r8 is threads( on the -portion 5. The pinion preferably has an integral hub extension l38 whose freesurface is accurately machined at right angles to the shaft, for reasons fully appearing below. A barrel 9 is preferably secured by means. such as screws 10,*'to nut B, said barrel having a serrated flange portion ll= the serrations preferably fitting between the teeth of pinion 7, whereby there can be no relative rotation between the barrel and the pinion, though relative longitudinal movement is posible. A relatively strong coil spring 12, whose purpose will yappear fully below encircles the extended shaft, is enclosed within 7 at one end and nut 8 at' the other. stop 13 is preferably formed at the :end of threaded portion 5 of the shaft to limit the motion of the power transmission in a direction away from mesh. The stop or adjacent parts are preferably designed to prevent bindingof the nut S, and some means is preferably provided tn prevent the nut or its associated parts from creeping. The details of the non-binding stop and of the arrangement for preventing creeping are no part of my present invention and are therefore not shown. The transmission just described, as is readily seen, Vpermits of no relative rotation between nut 8 and inion 7, and no auxiliary device is interposedj in any art of the transmission fer taking up the s the power of thev starting motor to t e engine. By my present invention. I achieve shockless operation by permitting a relatively unyielding transmission to electrically control the torque of the mol-or to bring about a relatively -shoclrless action.

Referringr to igs. I' and 2. I provide preferably in series with the motor, a resist ance 14 separated from the armature and field of the motor by apartition 15. 4One en'd 'of lthis resistance is preferably connected to a terminal 1G shown rounded, and the other end to an end ofthe eld coil as shown at 17. A lead 19 extends from the field coil at a; point electrically contiguous tothe end connected at 17 and is electrically connect ed with post 2O secured to segment 21 which segment is insulated from end` head 22, as

ook of applying shown at 23. Ahotherlsegmentgis mechanicall and electrically connected to the end4 hea Y same potent: l as tlie end 1.7 of resistance N14:- an'd grounde segment 24 of the same potential as the other end of resistance 14 as appears more clearly in Fig. 3. A n annular switch member 26 preferably '.-clxshed and formed with radial slits 26 preferably. encircles shaftextensiond between they inion and the end head. A; transverse mem er 27' is, also,\preferably sli ped over shaft ex tension ibeing secure to annular member 25, as shown at 28. This transverse member preferably -has un opening at each end, through -one of .which-.extends stud29 and through 'the other stud 30, both studs being` rigid with the end head 22. Holding means,

preferablycotterpins 31, areproyided for preventing the transyerse member from coin-- ing ofithe studs; Coil'vsprmgs 32 are preferablyprovided, l one -enclrcling each stud contacting the end head at one entrernitiy; and thell'owerface of the' transverse -m em 4 r. at the other... These' coil springs, asis .readily understood, bias -the transverse .member against the .cutter -pins .the annula siwitcli member t'oopen position.l r-f -The operstionris substantially-.as follows:

being closed, the-motor turn witha rela- -tively low' toue, resistance 14 :being 1n circuit ther-.enit The' inertiacijthenut 'f :8Cand its attached parts willA cause it: to

Atravellongitudinally' along the shaft. in

.the .well-known manner pushing. pinion 7 through spring-.12 untilsaid .pinion enters into! woperatiorr vw-heel gearf.

After: initial` and beforetulle meshing- .has

taken place, thef machinecLsurfaee-fot. extension 38 on inion 't will' contact .transverse member 2%, and nut, `throughsprinp; 12,-will continuato pushthe -.nionialong thef shaft-overcoming.- the resxs ance ,ofcoil 25 intocontzict 24. This contact, when completed, .will short-circuit'resistance-14, thus causing the motor to o 'rate at. full power. l The initial engagemenltllnetween annular switch member and the segments221 and24 1s-,;;of course, relatively lightand furnishes n; correspondingly ineffective electrical contactjand as the inion continues; movng;-bv .virtue .of the ongitudinal=` ush impar byL ring .12 .from the sai --positxon to thatfw erebfull meshing is4 effected, it; gradually' increases Y the rassurey transmitted tosaid `annular -switc member', thus making the contact more and more-effective and causx a radualcuttingouto resistancem. s-s own ira-Fig. 1,' nut. 81 may -still move through a small; r e after the switch. 25 has suhstantially-rs ort-circuited resistance 14. Nut

will, therefore, contini-1e through such small 22. The sen'rnent 21 is thus of4 the:-

properlyr wi 'of pressure at all 4parte of the periphery of the annular switch member 25. The torque of the motor after initial meshing of the gears is once effected will thus be gradually increased to its maximum to gradually and relatiyely shocklespsly applysits power to cranking the engine. After the engine op crates under its own ower, the. pinion 7 is 4rotated faster than t e shaft 4 vand causes the nut 8 to overrun the threaded portion 5 liringiizlgA about automatic demeshing in wellknown. ,mannen In Fig. 4,1 4have shown a modification of my invention. Here the mechanical parts of the transmissionfare the same as in Fig. 1. Instead ofthe ordinary resistance shown in Fig. 1, I ro.'4` ea cagbonpile 33 consistingof aurah y ofsli litly dished carbon 4annulif surroundings aft 4 and insulated therefrom and from the end-head as at 35.

. prefere.v ly encirlces shaft 4', and, preferably 'Af single contact startingsw-itchf S, Figli 3,

ears -an insulatingdislt ,36' against whio the pinion may contact. This. switch, when pressed against insulated late 37 and grounded platef on end hea 22 of the motorl will short-circuit-the carbon pile. The

pile is connected in circuit substantially us resistance 14 in Figs. 1 and 3.

, In o eratiompinion? Vafter partial meshinrrwi Lgradual compress pile 33, ruduv all-yf cutting out t e-,resistance in circuit with the motor, causing the'motor to exert a graft ually .increasing torque which reaches its Amaximum after bridging switcbh entirely 4 sliort-circuits the pile at'wliich time the-pin- .ionisin springs-`32, urgin annular switchjmember thetwo segments 21 and mesh with flywheel 70. In the-operation of .automatic starters of the screw shaft jiforni, as is well-known, the .teeth` of the )inion sonletimes fail to align th those `of the iiywheel gem' so that butting pf .teeth may ocean flVhen such butting'-occurs, the pinion beingr arrested against movenientinto mesh with the .gearl is inoperative 4for the purpose of eifect- .mg an increased torque of thc motor. The pinion being arrest-ed against theffae of the il rheel, the nut Savill continue travelling ong. the threndedportion 5 compreino spring 12 until the nut 8 grips the simil;

. with suiclient security toturn with said shaft to rotate pinion I slighty into proper alignment with the flywheel whereupon compressedvspring 12 will suddenly expand, pushing pinion? partially into mesh .with the flywheel whereupon travel into fullmesh andvcuttingout of the resistance may proceed as described above. It is thus seen mitted to oplerate at a relatively high torque at a time w en teeth are'buttingend to end, it is obvious that a stripping of gear teeth might result vwhen the pinion is again brought into motion.

Although Figs. 1 'and 4 show screw-starters oi the inboard type, and although this is my preferred form, it is to be understood that this invention ma be ap lied to good advantage to outboardl7 as wel as inboard forms of starters. Fig. 3 diagrammatically shows an outboard form by way of example.

Although the speeilic form of the screw shaft transmission shown and described is my preferred form, it is also to be understood that m invention is applicable to other forms o transmission of various types automatic as well as manual.

It will thus be seen that there is herein described a paratus in which the several features of t 's invention are embodied, and which apparatus in its action attains the various objects of the invention and is well suited to met the requirements of practical use.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and many a parently widely different embodiments o this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accom anyin drawings shall he interpreted as i ustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, what 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, an engine, a driven gear connected thereto, an electric motor normally havinur a resistance in circuit therewith, a shaft diiven by said motor, a substantially unyieldin drivingmemberthreaded on said shaft an having gear teeth, said teeth being adapted to coo erate with and drive said gear, but norm 1 oil'set therefrom, means in the path o said driving member at. a oint beyond the adjacent surface of said riven ear, and adapted to be controlled by said 'ving member to graduall remove said resistance after initial mes 1 has taken place, and means to the rear o said 'drivin member for effecting proper alignment o gear teeth should buttmg occur.

In a starter for gas engines, and the like, in combination, with a gear operatively connected with an engine, an electric motor, a driving pinion, a resilient member to yieldingly transmit a shifting impulse from said motor to said pinion and to bring said pinion into mesh with said gear, a member or aifectingthe circuit of said motor, having a bias in one direction and in the ath of sai shitable element, whereby sai bias will be overcome b the action of said motor to alter the circuit of said motor and a ri id power connection for rotation of said pinion y said motor.

3. In a starter for gas engines and the like, in combination, "with a gear operatively connected with an engine, an electric motor, operating with relatively low torque, a driv ing pinion normally out of engagement with said gear, a resilient member for transmittin an impulse 'oo vui' e Said pinion into mei with said gear an for bringing about an increased torque of said motor after initial meshing has taken place, and relatively rigid means for rotating said pinion to crank the en e.

4. In a starter or gas engines and the like, in combination, a motor, a threaded shaft driven thereby, a driving pinion upon said shaft, a nut threaded upon said shaft and to the rear of said pinion, means connecting 'said nut and pimon to rotate in unison, a compression spring interposed between said .nut and said pinion to yieldingly transmit the shifting impulse from said nut to said pinion, a resistance in series with said motor, and a switch in the path of said driving member for eecting a short circuit of said resistance after said pinion enters into mesh.

, In testimony whereof, I have signed m name to this specification this tenth day of June, 1918.

LIONEL M. WOOLSON. 

